Update on Simplifying

Several weeks ago I posted about wanting to eliminate unnecessary stress in my life.  We as humans tend to over-complicate a lot of things, and I am on a journey to do my part in living more simply.  Here's a progress update on my road to the simple life.

Cutting Back on "Deals"

I have always enjoyed getting a "deal", but sometimes these deals have too many hoops to jump through or they aren't such a great deal after all.  As an example, we tried to use a Groupon to a restaurant last month, only to discover after ordering that the Groupon was not valid before 5 PM.  I had to pay full price for our lunch and, since the Groupon was about to expire, I felt compelled to squeeze in a second visit to the restaurant later that week.  I've also let bonus offers on gift card purchases expire (I'm talking about those $10 bonus when you buy a $50 gift card deals you see around the holidays every year), and last week I misplaced a gift card.

Progress:  I've been deleting the daily Groupon/Living Social emails I receive.  Next I will opt-out of the emails altogether.  I may still use those deal sites from time to time, but mostly for same-day deals, like when I need an oil change.  At one point I had close to 20 vouchers sitting on my account, and trying to redeem them before they expired would cause unnecessary stress.  I've also been redeeming some of the gift cards I've had sitting around.  I'm always scared I'll lose one (just happened!) and would prefer not to have to keep up with them.

The Financial BHAG

Next, cleaning up the balance sheet.  I've set an aggressive (big, hairy, audacious) goal of paying off all my credit card balances by September 30th.  Ultimately I want to consolidate my spending, maybe to 1-2 credit cards.  It will be easier to keep up with my spending that way.

The other goal, to increase Passive Recurring Income by $2,300, remains.  Part of the plan includes putting my house on AirBnB.  I have a few repair projects to do, and am postponing these until my credit card balances are lower.

Dejunking

A couple times a year we load up the car with donations and take them to the Salvation Army.  I love the feeling of getting rid of things we no longer use.  During May we will make our first donation of 2018.  We already have a couple of large boxes ready to go.  It's nice being able to find things more easily.

Saying "No"

I used to take every job opportunity I was offered.  I'm learning to forego the ones that aren't worthwhile.  This will be easier when my credit card debt is paid.